Thoreau Lionett is a human vineyard owner and winemaker, and the father of Beauregard Lionett. As an NPC, Thoreau Lionett is played by Matthew Mercer.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Thoreau was described by his daughter Beauregard Lionett as being a little bit shorter and slightly pudgy with a rounded face. He has dark hair with a widow's peak and brown eyes, with a unibrow that he's let go as he ages.[4]
Personality[]
Beau described him as cranky[5] and superstitious[6] .
Biography[]
Background[]
Thoreau was "a poor bastard" who grew up with nothing and lived on the streets; he thought the woman he wanted to marry, Clara, deserved more than an impoverished man and that he had nothing to lose, so he risked walking through the wilderness to find "the witch in the mountains" about whom he had heard stories when he was growing up.[7] Despite wearing out his shoes and being chased by wolves, in a diminished state he stumbled upon the house of a witch who claimed to specialize in fortunes. The fortuneteller offered him a deal: in exchange for "a fragment of [his] fortune," he would get what he always wanted. He agreed, so she told him to pick a place in the mountains and the ground would grow, that he would be a craftsman of fine spirits, and that "a young beau will take on the great name to continue the success, until everything eventually will humble [him] by that which [he] desired most." He borrowed what he could from Clara's family to buy derelict farm property in the hills on the north side of Kamordah and grew grapes on it, with amazing success. The family is now very well off and their wine is famous. Given the stunning success of the fortuneteller's advice, he now fears what is coming to "humble" him, and wants to protect his family. Thoreau believes that the fortuneteller may return someday and demand payment for her advice.[8]
Thoreau and Beau had an increasingly tense relationship as Beau grew up and wanted to implement her own ideas about running the wine business. She began secretly stealing wine and selling it, eventually falling in with (and falling in love with) a smuggler named Tori. When Thoreau caught the two stealing wine from the Lionett vineyard and had them arrested, Tori tried to tell him that she had blackmailed Beau into cooperating with her to protect her family, but he didn't believe her. He offered to pay her bail if she would agree to never speak to Beau again. Tori refused, and he had her sent to Zadash for trial and punishment.[9] He told Beau he had paid her bail, but not Tori's, and Beau did not know what happened to Tori after that.[10] Beau herself was forcibly taken to the Cobalt Soul for training, and it was later revealed that Thoreau had paid Archivist Zeenoth to have her in effect kidnapped.
"Between the Lines" (2x78)[]
Thoreau receives a Sending from Jester pretending to be Archivist Zeenoth, telling him that Beau is now an Expositor and asking if anything weird has happened. He responds that everything's fine. The next day he is contacted again by Jester using a spooky voice, and he responds with some confusion, asking if they've met and who this is. Jester responds that everything he is doing is being watched, which seems to terrify him.
"Lingering Wounds" (2x89)[]
Thoreau receives another Sending from Jester, asking him how things were going and if he heeded her previous warnings, and telling him "we" are keeping eyes on you. He told her that everything was fine, thanked her for helping with the competition, and said that she needed to let him know what she needed.
"Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92)[]
The Mighty Nein went to meet with Thoreau after discovering a link between the witch who told Thoreau how to make his fortune and the witch who cursed Nott. They were the same person: a hag named Isharnai.
"Fond Farewells" (2x141) []
Within a few weeks after the defeat of Lucien, Lawmaster Orentha Stonegrasp presided over the trial of Archivist Zeenoth and Thoreau, overseen by High-Richter Dolan Thrym. Thoreau testified on his own behalf, trying to defend his actions and reasoning in paying Zeenoth to kidnap Beauregard, but he was sentenced to a brief time in jail and fines. As he was escorted from the courtroom, Beau handed him her Expositor badge, telling him to give it to TJ for her.
Post-campaign[]
According to two post-campaign tweets by Matthew Mercer, Thoreau’s toxic behaviors were very specific in their timing and targets, and otherwise he appeared a wonderful husband and father.[11] However, following the revelations of Zeenoth and Thoreau's trial, and Thoreau's subsequent time in jail, Clara took their son T.J. and left.[2]
Relationships[]
Thoreau is married to Clara Lionett, and has a young son named Thoreau Jr.[12] He is also the father of Beauregard.
Zeenoth described Thoreau as "a very good friend" of the Valley Archive of the Cobalt Soul. When Beau was arrested, he contacted the Cobalt Soul; in his last moments with her before the monks took her, he referred to her as his "misfortune."[13]
Appearances and mentions[]
Appearances[]
- Campaign Two
- "Between the Lines" (2x78), via Sending (first appearance)
- "Lingering Wounds" (2x89), via Sending
- "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92)
- "Fond Farewells" (2x141)
- The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett
Mentions[]
- Campaign Two
- "Disparate Pieces" (2x04)
- "The Hour of Honor" (2x24)
- "Chases and Trees" (2x65)
- "Rime and Reason" (2x75)
- "The Threads Converge" (2x85)
- "Misery Loves Company" (2x93)
- "Mysteries, Memories, and Music" (2x101)
- "Maritime Mysteries" (2x103)
- "The Neverending Day" (2x125)
Quotations[]
To Beau, during their reunion:
- "I know we've had our differences. And I've not—I've not been the pinnacle of a father, in the same way that you've not been the pinnacle of a daughter. I accept my responsibilities in the things that I've maybe been a bit harsh on. But look what you've become."[14]
- "You were on a self-destructive path. We didn't know what to do. I've never been a—no one teaches you how to be a good father. I regret choices I've made, and you don't think I don't hold myself responsible for...? I thought I was doing what was best for you, truly."[15]
- "Beauregard, don't think for any moment your mother and I haven't loved you from the depths of our hearts this entire time. I'm sorry if we didn't show it properly."[16]
- "I only hope, I hope I can make up to you the missteps that I can plainly see behind me. It's rare that a child's damage at that age and behavior doesn't reflect how I, hmm, misstepped in my parenting."[17]
- "Your grandfather was no peach, either, and there's, there's difficulty in realizing how much you intended to be different, and then to realize you've become so similar. So I hope with the company you keep, maybe you won't repeat the same mistakes I have, by treating the people around you..."[18]
Trivia[]
- Matt described Thoreau as one of the "grossest" characters he has had to roleplay, along with Howaardt Darrington.[19] Both were fathers of homosexual player characters and sent their respective love interests away. Incidentally, both also live in the Truscan Vale of the Dwendalian Empire.
References[]
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 0:58:28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "In my mind, those revelations shook up the dynamic and allowed Clara the strength and impetus to take TJ and leave. She isn’t without her feeling of guilt for not seeing things as they were/believing him entirely, but she is trying to begin anew and make amends." (2021-10-12).
- ↑ See "Critical Role Campaign 2 Wrap Up" (Sx56) at 2:27:00. Ashley states that Yasha and Beau possibly adopted children subsequent to the Campaign.
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 1:07:10.
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 1:07:10.
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 1:34:25.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 3:46:17.
- ↑ See "Between the Lines" (2x78) at 0:58:28.
- ↑ See The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett, pp. 43–45.
- ↑ See "Chases and Trees" (2x65) at 3:12:25.
- ↑ Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Clara was not aware of the depths it went, but she did not follow on her suspicions either. Even so, its is a complicated dynamic within the family. I imagine Thoreau’s toxic behaviors are very specific in their timing & targets, and otherwise appears a wonderful husband/father." (2021-10-12).
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 3:30:33.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein, p. 10
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 3:41:50.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 3:43:31.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 3:52:25.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 4:00:38.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 4:01:41.
- ↑ See "Home is Where the Heart Is" (2x92) at 4:11:24.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Thoreau Lionett, by Guilherme Balbi and Diana Sousa from The Mighty Nein Origins: Beauregard Lionett. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
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